Heat believed to cause death of elderly couple at The Wave

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The Wave, from Bureau of Land Management.

Heat believed to cause death of elderly couple at The Wave

The Wave, from Bureau of Land Management.

KANE COUNTY, Utah – An elderly couple was found dead at The Wave near the Utah-Arizona border on Thursday morning.

Kane County Sheriff’s Sgt. Alan Alldredge says that just before 9 a.m. Thursday, dispatchers received reports that hikers had spotted the body of an elderly woman just off the trail of “The Wave,” a popular hiking spot that only allows 20 permits each day.

Kane County Sheriff Lamont Smith and Deputy Brett Smith located the woman’s body via helicopter and flew it from the site to the trailhead. When returning to the scene, the helicopter spotted another body about 250 yards from the first, and flew it back to the trailhead.

The two victims were identified as 70-year-old Ulrich Wahli and 69-year-old Patricia Wahli, both from California.

Alldredge says the couple had permits to hike on The Wave on Wednesday, with temperatures in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

They are believed to have died during the afternoon as a result of the heat, but the bodies will be sent to the Utah State Medical Examiner for further investigation.